PSX Extreme Game Of The Year Awards 2012

The Walking Dead has become quite the phenomenon and rightfully so. Fans of Heavy Rain and anyone who wants to become emotionally attached to a storyline should play it; that much, we've recently discovered. But nothing on the PSN quite tops Journey this year. It's a very personal game; we're not exploring a vast desert, we're exploring something within ourselves, and we can feel it from the moment we begin. The adventure is exquisitely crafted and beautifully designed, the pacing is perfect, the music is of the utmost quality, and the experience will stick with you for a very long time.

Gravity Rush and Uncharted: Golden Abyss make strong cases but Sackboy has stolen our hearts again. LittleBigPlanet Vita is an absolute must-have for owners of Sony's new portable device. It doesn't cut any corners; it's just as robust and complete as LBP has always been, and the visual display and touch mechanics are both extraordinary. Most everything works like a charm and there's a ton of longevity due to the ridiculous amount of content. Great for all ages and always a fantastic option for burgeoning designers or anybody with a highly creative mind, LBP on Vita needs to be in your handheld library.

These days, most multiplatform games are pretty similar across platforms, so it's important to look for exclusives; i.e., titles that define a particular console. In this case, there is no game that defined the PS3 more than Journey, which created an industry-wide love-fest (which is great) and showed us what the best imaginative and creative minds can do. You have to have access to the PlayStation Network to experience it and hence, it's our pick for PS3 Game of the Year. One big reason why: It isn't limiting or restricting; it's for everyone, including those who have rarely (if ever) picked up a controller. That's pretty impressive.

Say what you will about Call of Duty, but there's a reason so many millions enjoy playing the game online. It's also important to note that without the online multiplayer, these games really won't appeal to many people. And that's why the developers tend to put their hearts and souls into the online competitive play. Call of Duty: Black Ops II is different than Modern Warfare 3 (last year's winner in this category) but in some ways, BOII is even better. It's one of the most complete online experiences one can have, and it requires both strategy and skill. It essentially defines the term "multiplayer."

Something more needed to be done with the music/rhythm genre, and that's precisely what we got from Sound Shapes in 2012: A fresh spin on "playing" with music. This innovative approach to blending action and audio resonated with a great many, including us. There's just something so addicting and unique about it, and it goes well beyond the traditional elements of the genre. Rock Band Blitz and Michael Jackson: The Experience aren't anything new, as fun as they are, and not all that impressive. Only Sound Shapes made us go, "Woah...something new in the realm of interactive music!"

The racing genre was a little thin this year, but that doesn't mean fans were left out to dry. All they had to do was pick up Need for Speed: Most Wanted and be happy. Filled with nonstop action in an open-world environment reminiscent of Burnout Paradise, you could jump instantly between any of the cars you've collected, compete in individual events for each vehicle, and tackle the Top 10 Most Wanted racers in Fairhaven. The control was tight, the challenge was obvious, and the fun factor was through the roof. Loved it to pieces!

In a year where the MLB: The Show franchise didn't wow us the way it usually does, and where Madden showed it still has some punching power, we have to go with NBA 2K13. For b-ball aficionados, it really was like a dream come true- A realistic yet easily controlled and in-depth basketball simulation that was great for one or more players. It made some of the more complex hardwood maneuvers more accessible while not sacrificing any of that required authenticity, and that's no easy task. You just have to appreciate and applaud such effort.

It was one of the easier categories to pick, unfortunately due to the less-than-stellar release of Final Fantasy XIII-2. We loved FFXIII-2 for a few reasons, but it doesn't stand up to the overall quality of Mass Effect 3. With an epic, nicely written storyline, great characters, a huge and involving universe to explore, and top-notch gameplay with plenty of depth and customization, this was 2012's superior role-playing experience. If you're a sci-fi fan, expect to be sucked into a richly detailed and wonderfully designed world that will leave you breathless.

In one of the tougher categories to call, we give it to the fighter that presented us with a combination of various attractive qualities. On the surface, this may appear to be another party brawler but beneath that pretty, fast-paced, apparently simplistic surface beats the heart of a fully developed fighter. Developer SuperBot Entertainment has said they'd like it to act as a "gateway" for those who haven't played much of the fighting genre, and it should do just that. Great production values and an immense amount of diversity cap off this PS3 exclusive, so give it a go.

It was a tough call. There's a lot to like about all the nominees. However, only one game seemed to strike a chord with shooter fans of all types; Borderlands 2 managed to make itself irresistible to those who loved lengthy campaigns, and to those who loved playing with others. Undoubtedly the co-op game of the year, this one offers countless hours of fun with several buddies, and you'll find yourself dreaming of loot in your sleep. A more complete and enjoyable production than its predecessor, Borderlands 2 and it's gazillion guns and 96.5% more Wub Wub demands your attention.

When we think of the label "action/adventure," we think of the combination that the genre implies. We think of a game that headlines the category by offering the best in both action (via combat and other mechanics) and adventure (exploration, puzzles, story elements, etc.). Dishonored sort of defies labeling and in truth, doesn't best epitomize this genre in 2012. No, that honor goes to the vast and often astounding Assassin's Creed III, which is easily the most ambitious title of the year. Featuring some of the best variety and a historical setting that continually reinforces the "action" and the "adventure," ACIII is just a beast.

It isn't often that we get amazing new IPs these days, but there is one that really stood out in 2012: The amazing action/adventure title from Arkane Studios and Bethesda, Dishonored. Journey is a landmark achievement in its own right but Dishonored felt like a fuller, more impact-ful product simply because it built upon previous foundations and somehow made familiar gameplay mechanics feel fresh. There was just so little wrong with the game, which encouraged freedom and choice while still providing us with a linear, engaging storyline. There's no doubt that Dishonored is a very special game.

It's probably the one game not available on the PlayStation platform that would've been in the running for multiple awards this year at PSXE. Featuring amazing graphics, the return of the iconic Master Chief, and that patented Halo gameplay that followers have come to know and love, the fourth installment has generated a ton of positive feedback and widespread critical acclaim. There's no doubt that it's one of 2012's most esteemed and popular games, and those who only stick to the PS3 ought to be just a little jealous. Admit it.

This is just a list of the games that we played most during 2012; the titles that held our attention the longest, the ones that kept us coming back for more again and again. There are a number of reasons as to why but I won't get into specifics. And besides, it's difficult to pin down precisely why Darksiders II is just so damn absorbing, and why Rock Band Blitz is so addicting, and why it's hard to dislike the goofy, over-sexualized, totally cornball entertainment that is Lollipop Chainsaw. So no explanations. Just...we love(d) these games this year.

You guys had the chance to vote for your Game of the Year and the results are in: It's Assassin's Creed III! It was close; Far Cry 3 may have been the surprise runner-up while games like Journey, Borderlands 2, The Walking Dead, and Mass Effect 3 were all very close to even. ACIII delivered in a lot of ways and obviously, the majority of our readers see fit to give Ubisoft's epic masterpiece this year's highest honor. Ah, but do we...?

Comments (74 posts)

The anticipation is over and might I say pretty good list here. Most I expected, nothing really surprised me but a couple I think could have easily gone to another game.

Well now I look forward to this years games and how things will turn out. Should be interesting with a new God of War, a new ip in The Last of Us, a DMC reboot and of course the long awaited new entry in the Bioshock series.

I will say that best mp probably should have gone go Borderlands 2. Yea CoD does it right for competitive stuff, but theres also another side to mp, and thats co-op and no other game does it more right and as well than Borderlands 2. Everything is perfect from questing, trading, looting to the perfect implementation of it all. Of course thats just me. I just enjoy the game to much not to give it another nod! ;)

Thanks PSXE for another great year and bringing all us readers not only interesting news but a place to come and comment on such topics! Look forward to this years awards!Last edited by bigrailer19 on 1/2/2013 12:00:17 AM

What I think, Bigrailer, is that it is about time coop gameplay is aknowledged with their separate category.

There are so many fundamental differences between competitive multiplayer and cooperative play that they can hardly be compared - something that is clear by the fact that there are plenty gamers who hate one but love the other. Coop games clearly deserve a category of their own - they are a different kind of game!

Friendly piece of advice: Don't laugh at me after I've spent six and a half hours working on these awards. Very much not in the mood. At least try and be constructive with your comment.Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 1/2/2013 12:23:26 AM

The demo didn't get me, nor really the style of it's play. I really like things martial arts based.

Though, as part of the fighter category it does seem to be the freshest offering of the lot and well executed too. I'm somewhat surprised by the amount of game play respect the game has received from various sites. With Tekken and DOA staying fairly rooted to their traditions (I'm not complaining. I like them just as they are) it's hard to expand the excitement of the genre's offering beyond the sphere they've already created for themselves.

Battle Royal seems to offer something fresh.

I haven't tried Persona though. GameTrailers thought highly of it. I'm not a big 2D style fighter, though. I will say KoF:XIII (trying it from PSN+) is uber cool. if there was one modern 2D fighter I'd like to get more versed in it would be that one.Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/2/2013 12:30:26 AM

ok Ben, you know me.. I don't take the mick out of you and what you do. so take a step back and don't take this personally.I apologise for not being clearer, but then I didnt think I needed to be.

what I meant was I was very surprised that a (imo) a lack luster mish mash of a arcade game could win the fighting game category seeing as (imo) no real fight gamer would ever vote for it. The game is a joke to most gamers who take fight games seriously (imo).Maybe I'm a fight game snob, quite possibly.. I'm happy to admit that, but its a category that I love dearly, so when I see that this super smash brothers update is iyo better than Street Fighter X Tekken, DOA5, Tekken Tag 2 or even MK or SFxTK on the Vita.. I'm just incredibly surprised. I have tried PSASBR and it was good for a few mins.. fighting games are all about connecting, honing, perfecting and wining not a 2 min distraction with what ever you like (imo).

so there you have it... I'm not laughing at you or what you do I am just amazed at PSASBR could even feature seriously in the fighting game category let alone win it.. imo.

You say that people who take fighting games seriously think is a joke then say it is your opinion, you lost your argument there dillon sorry. I take fighting games seriously and if you have actually played the game you could realize that the game has a good understanding of fighting mechanics. I mean actually dug into the game and not played for a few minutes. I have been playing this game more than mortal kombat and street fighter 4 put together. It has even taken time away from playing third strike online edition. This isn't your smash bros type of game. I have plate fighters for a living and you keep insisting that you are a fighting game enthusiast and yet have no idea what this game brings to the table.

It is a "party" fighter and it brings something new to the table. Something smash bros was seriously lacking. What have any of the fighters you mentioned brought to the table? They haven't changed anything, as much as I enjoy them, and are still the same. As for "bad" fighters, the community hates street fighter x tekken with a passion. Your opinion seems to be the same opinion Seth Killian is trying to stop and yet here we are still. Guess Seth still has an uphill battle it seems.

If you are a fan of Guilty Gear or BlazBlu I highly recommend Persona Arena. That game is amazing. Very technical and not for people who play fighters casually. You have to really earn your keep on that one.

Dillon, I don't disagree that the 'best-deepest-most technical' fighter of the lot probably belongs to a seasoned well play tested franchise like VF, Tekken or DOA, but I've found it important to remember that gaming sites that aren't rooted to a hardcore sect of gamer are not the place to look for serious competitive player values. Sites like shoryuken will more likely align themselves with your perspective. A site that will no doubt draw those who hold most dearly the hardened depth of play. So take it easy on PSXe and more general gamer sites. They're here to help shine a spotlight on those more innovative games, especially new faces, and bring to light the significance of their offering to curious gamers.

sawao, hey, if you live on the western continental US maybe we can fight some time. My PSN ID is the same as my name here. I'm not very adept with most 2D fighters. I've always had this unknown preference for 3D fighters like VF, Tekken, and DOA. But as for 2D I can do pretty decent with SF4 Zangief. I also have lots of admiration for SF3:TS.

Ahh sadly I don't anymore. Recently came to Canada to study but I will add you later on temjin. I'm constantly in and out of the library. I'm always available on the weekends and will gladly get online to play street fighter 4. If you ever do get third strike we should play that as well.

Yahoo for Dishonored. It really was an amazingly balanced mix of parts, all gears grinding away perfectly.

I started the Walking Dead, it's very compelling and TellTale is really coming into their own. That said I don't see it as GOTY material, but it does fall into what I said I wanted to see, more experiments with interactive entertainment.

I'll need to give Dishonored a shot. My brother also thought it was his personal goty.

I've played about an hour of Journey so far. I freed some towels and flying carpets from cages and we flew past "under water" beasts.The game reminds me of Disney's Fantasia, but interactive. Mildly interactive but cool nonetheless.

Thanks for the recommendation but I haven't done a 4-5 hour gaming session in over 5 years. Most games I play happen on an hour to two hour block. But don't be concerned I still feel it. I'd question it's popularity if I thought it needed a start to finish sitting to be enjoyed well for what it is anyhow.

I agree with pretty much all the winners, but I really hope that Journey was at least included in the nominees for Game of the Year. It did accomplish a lot (going by what it won here in other categories) and was a very unique game. And the "love fest" for the game? I think it's well-deserved.

I can agree with most of this but not that Dishonored deserves Game of the Year. Although the reasoning you give is sound and completely understandable, to me, the game was hollow. Not to take anything away from these awards; trust me, I know how difficult it is to put this kind of thing together. In any case, such is the beauty of opinion and freedom of speech.

Thanks Ben, John and the rest of the PSXE staffers behind the scenes for providing us with the news we crave and the editorials that give us a chance to voice our opinions over the last year, and here's to many more. To the readers and contributors: I love you guys. The discussions, the arguments. Logging on of an afternoon is often a highlight of my days. Yes, I am that boring :D

While I disagree with you I know what you are talking about, there is a certain hollowness to the game but I found it is a necessary sacrifice in order to allow more freedom. Deus Ex had the exact same feeling about it.

I gotta say this was a very good list. Of course, there's always *something* to put a finger on in such a long list of awards, and I don't really think that "non-playstation award" has anything to do on this site (knowing how you don't even play PC games), but overall I gotta say this was a very good list.

And when I changed to the last page, fully expecting AC3 to win but saw Dishonoured there - man it literary sent chills down my spine. Needless to say, I am very much in agreement there (although I've not yet played AC3, that must be mentioned).

This was a job very well done, Ben. Thanks for a great year, I look forward to the next!

AC3 looked fantastic, but its not THAT good!FC3 should of won, even on consoles it blows AC3 out of the water plainly on the look of the game, than you take into account the size of the world, the amount of crap going on screen, and all the particle effects its downright astonishing!theres a reason AC3 does not have any guards or enemies in the wilderness where they have snow particles, simple fact of the matter is the engine would crash and burn if it had to deal with HALF the crap FC3 has to deal with!

sound deign agreed, it was funny i was playing it on my laptop so suffice to say there not the best speakers and i was not impressed.than i decided to take it downstairs to the 7.1 setup and my god the punch of the weapons especially the shotguns and snipers, the crackling whip of burning trees, the roar of tigers and bears i literally shat my pants!FC3 sounds AMAZING!

wait a moment, AC3 has best acting but in the next category you say no game had better acting, ect, ect, ect.what the?so AC3 has the best acting, but ME3 has the best acting?

art and character agreed.journey as a painting, not a game, but as a awe factor is simply beautiful!i love maxs character, the constant way he was chastising himself.as he said say what you will about americans, but you get what you pay for.these people paid for a angry gringo that would not know right from wrong if ect, ect, cant remember the rest.point is he was the most lovable character and constantly made me laugh throughout the whole game!probably should extend that to include clementine or lee as well, i did not like the story and its restrictiveness, but the game really does make you feel sorry for both of them.

originality, uniqueness yea, but innovation?how is flicking paint across the canvas to reveal your path innovative?yea it brought in a new sub genre i guess you could call it, but it was hardly innovative!

most overlooked should go to i am alive.the darkness 2 was overlooked because 1 its a pretty mediocre game, and 2 because of its stupid cartoony graphics!you dont go making a slasher film, than put in hand drawn cartoon characters its just stupid!hurts the tone of the game, just really ruined it for me.the original was so dark and creepy, especially those death cut scenes really creeped me out!2 though made me feel like quinten tarrantino took over as producer for loony tunes!it betrayed so many things that made the original so great!as usual, thats become the holy bible of sequels lately!thy must change thy series on thy head!part of the 10 holly commandments of game development.

most underrated RE6!?REALLY!?im not even going to bother going into whats wrong with that.how can one of THE WORST games in the HISTORY of the industry be underrated!?hell even RE5 was better than RE6!christ, cant believe im saying that!

most anticipated games really hard to choose, especially when allot of the games up there have not been given much of a showing.come april next year ask the same question, and ill bet 5000 bucks the answer will be GTAV!simple matter of the fact is not even jesus christ could make a game more anticipated than the Juggernaut that is GTA!not even COD comes close!

best PSN game should of been the walking dead, that game just does oh so much NO game has even dared to do!and wont ever!

best vita game should be uncharted golden abyss.i was absolutely smacked to the floor when i started that!$ony has always been pulling that console game quality on the go molarky, and ive touted it up as usual typical PR BS!but it actually was, its THE only game released for the vita that you would expect to come from the ps3!bend blew my socks off and into the sun, in fact it was THE best uncharted game EVER made!it actually made drake feel like a treasure hunter, something ND could not do through 3 freaking games!BEND keep amazing me, almost as much as it amazes me how $ony keep limiting them to portable systems.come on $ony, these guys gave us 3 of the PSPs best games, syphon filter logans shadow, syphon filter dark mirror, and last but not least resistance retribution.and they gave us the vitas best game, and even one of playstations best games with uncharted golden abyss!if that does not prove their ready for the big leagues than NOTHING does!if $ony does not have bend working on a ps4 title, than its official $ony really are run by a bunch of apes!ive always suspected it.......

best ps3 game should of gone to FC3.2 reasons, 1 most games these days wow us technically but bore us GAME wise, FUN wise.cough AC3.FC3 did both, it blew our socks off technically, and game wise, fun wise, it was in a class of its own!it truly gave you the keys to the city and said hack your brains out do whatever you want!how many games do that?and how many games do that, AND end up being one of the most technically advanced out there?

darksiders 2 should of won best action adventure game.yes i really did not like it as much as the original, it was a true typical sequel IE it betrayed so much that made the original great!but that said it was still by far THE best action adventure game released this year!never thought id be saying that, had such, such, SUCH HIGH hopes for AC3!oh how the great have fallen!actually playing through the anthology now, 3 was such a disappointment ive had to go back to its predecessors to rekindle my love with the franchise.up to AC2 now,by far the best!not only of the series, but probably THE BEST game this generation has ever seen!

as a idea, dishonoured was the PERFECT concept idea!it was so brilliant, the setting, the story, the powers, the freedom to kill, not kill, kill loudly, kill silently.it was PERFECT!but as usual it did about 13% of what it promised!it let you kill, oh so loudly and in spectacular fashion!as for killing silently, well......or not killing?well i hope you like strangling people because thats all you got!even the powers are VERY focused to killing and loudly.very few are geared to silently killing guards, or even just putting them to sleep.

best game of the year full stop is halo 4!NO game has met my expectations, and its freaking halo so they were pretty high, this gen!and not only did halo meet them but it blew them out of the water!not only did 343 show the series is in safe hands and they are capable of continuing the franchise, they showed the master, bungie, how its done!halo 4 is the only game that met my lofty expectations this year, and its also the only game that blew them into the stratosphere!

overall 2012s been one of the most disappointing years in the industries history!1 we had ALLOT of studio closures, and allot of talented men left the industry, changed studios, or passed away. also had quite a few studios turn, insomniac and bungie for instance.

2 we had by far the least amount of games releasing!normally the holiday season is flat chat, but this year it was pretty empty.allot of games got delayed to next year sadly.

3 most of the games were either A VERY disappointing ie AC3, hitman absolution, dishonoured, or B never were going to be GOTY contenders such as all the racing and fighting games.it has been a VERY sequel focused year and a VERY shooter focused year.hell when you have nothing but karting games and 1 road racer on your list, you know the racing genres in trouble!forza horizon would be the best racing game this year, now that was oh so much FUN!

its sad how the gaming industry has become like hollywood.were obsessed with shooters and things that go BANG!we really dont care about stories, characters, diversity.we want a gun, we want explosions thats it.been very sequel heavy too.another thing with sequels, like hollywood this years sequels have been very disappointing!sequels in gaming use to mean tweaking and improvements, not changing and turning on the head!were becoming more and more like hollywood as each day goes by!

EXACTLY why im praying for next gen systems ASAP, in hope this will change and we will start seeing more ambitious titles, things very different, studios taking risks and doing things differently.than when those new IPs get sequels, for the love of god dont do a EA or a ubisoft, or a $E, or a crapcom, or a 2K, or a $ony, and try to turn the sequel into a totally different franchise!

on a side note, yay its 2013 so that means our R18 system comes into effect!woot, no more games getting banned and having to import them risking a thousands of dollars fine!now all we have to work on is this price scalping, and month delays and were golden!still pissed we have to wait literally 2 months longer for one of my favorite franchises of all time, sly cooper 4!

Resident Evil 6 as one of the worst game in the history of the industry? Resident Evil 6 is not all about survival horror anymore just like they did in the first four games, they've done all the tricks in that past games, it's now an all out war against t-virus zombies, no more hope. There's no fun if they keep on doing the same scare trick on you. What if there's a jet plane in Resident Evil 6, it's fun. Killing zombies in style.

They've taken everything that is RE, and they've thrown it away for a more CoD type game, and that's just a shame.

But, Capcom isnt the only company to sell out this gen, they stand side by side with SE. We can only hope these devs will go back to thier roots sooner or later..... but then you see Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, and it makes you wanna cry.

its not fun though, there hell bent on turning RE into L4D, yet there also hell bent on keeping the slow sluggish controls, limited ammo, piss weak weapons, dumb zombies.RE5 was half fun because of the boss battles and the different style of enemies, RE6 has become more of a mindless shooter yet become less as well because of the new type of zombies and the limited ammo and controls.FUN is the LAST thing it is!crapcom need to either say fine were turning it back to the way the series was, or stop trying to half a$$ mindless action and do it properly!

I think Halo 4's campaign struggled to make new some of the common place tropes of the series.

First, it never approaches the wide open scale of some prior Halo campaigns. A whole lot of time is spent in the relatively bland confines of Promethean architecture. The outdoor super huge truck mission was my fav.

Second, Halo 4 is very much a solo mission. Earlier Halo games usually made it a point several times throughout the campaign to make you feel you were fighting with a squadron of mates in more warfare oriented design. The tunnel more confined feeling is stronger now than ever. The introductory mech level felt like an on-rails event stripped right out of CoD.

Third, I feel the relationship between Cortana and Chief has been manufactured to try and make Halo something more human than it was ever intended to be. I just don't like that. It already had it's identity. I liked the tone and feel of prior Halo's just fine, more military and mission based and less emotion. Now CHief is made out to be more human and empathetic for Cortana (who I don't think acts particularly well). It just has this pseudo romance vibe I don't want from a Halo game. It's a turn off.

Another gripe is the end boss sequence is just ABSOLUTELY pathetic. Oh, and the Prometheans were less fun to kill than Flood. I also miss the Brute, Covenant, Flood style conflicts

Other than that the game is absolutely gorgeous to look at.

I hear the multiplayer stuff though is the best of the series.Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/2/2013 12:49:54 PM

oh, and one more thing. There was nothing in Halo 4 to match the epic Scarab battles of past games. I loved Halo 3's part where there's that massive sized Scarab while you and a dozen plus guys drove around on ATV's firing rockets at it. Also, the power-up drops still aren't as good as Halo 3's. I want my bubble shield back =)

OKAY, one more thing and I'm done. Do they need help designing a heavy soldier that ISN'T a duo of Hunters? These days fighting that duo is just way too redundant and tired. Where's the innovation? Make some freak'n new heavies to kill!

scale part ill bet was simply down to the graphics of the game, the engines already struggling to keep a smooth consistent frame rate, opening it up even more to have other friendlies, or more open environments, or more epic set pieces would of brought everything to a smokey end.would of been nice, sure, but its a trade off sadly we cant have everything.maybe if shock of horrors M$ stopped being so anti PC and brought the series back, we could see halo 4 for what it truly wanted to be.

that is to say though its not exactly a corridor shooter.i mean how many other games have flying ships sitting in the middle of the battlefield awaiting you to climb in, blow up fellow flyers and enlist in some kamikaze missions?halo 4 is allot like uncharted 3 actually.2 was such a michael bay film, 3 was allot more focused on the story and on creating a atmosphere with the characters.yea it lost that spectacle 2 had, but i really did not care because the story more than made up for it.it would of been nice to have more of the action, but i much prefer 3 to 2.

as for the chief and his relationships, i really enjoyed it.343 needed to make their mark on the series, and they did that pretty bloody well!yea it humanizes the chief, but if they were to give her the swansong she deserves with chiefs usual robotic nature it just would not of worked.i really enjoyed it, their banter and relationship was what really made the game for me.actually to say it was one of the few games that made me cry.

only thing i wanted to see done better was the prometheans, they really dont fight that much differently than the rest.one thing we see so often in games these days, 10 enemy types and each enemy fights the same just with a different weapon.i would of liked to see the prometheans really turn the battles on their head, be the complete polar opposite.

in short halo 4 is EXACTLY what the franchise needed!bungie has taken the series FAR too far away from combat evolved, 343 took the franchise back to its noble roots but yet still keeping the modern changes fans have become accustomed to.the series really needed to be reminded of its roots and this did it perfectly.

o, and ben thanks for adding such a compelling constructive argument to the conversation!as usual.......

oh, I don't think we've seen the last of Cortana. I'm predicting the story will be one that has Chief restoring her. Restoring her to a physical body. Then Chief and Cortana can, at last, be together forever =p

I'll take it a step further. They wont just restore COrtana to a body but they'll have Chief become captured and Cortana will go save him. She'll be uber powerful and accredit her skills to having been in CHief's head for all of these years.. she'll be hyper powerful and fast. Then she'll in the process of saving Chief succeed but give her life to do it. THE END.

i hope not its too cheesy and corny.the way they ended it, with her AI deterioration, its the end.if they can find a way to "fix" her than fine, but restoring her to a human just does not feel right.let her rest.

i actually interviewed one of the lead developers a few months ago, josh holmes and trust me there done with her.i asked him why they decided to go with the more tragic personal route for the two, and he said they needed something where they could leave their mark, and this story and fates was the best way they could do it.bringing her back would be a massive insult.they dident do it for shock factor, just like arkham city it was done for a reason.they want to move on and introduce something new to the franchise.unlike arkham city though this was done for the better.

Thanks for your time and effort into putting this together Ben. I know it probably had you pulling your hair out at times. Not everyone is going to agree on everything (including me), but that is what makes gaming fun. Happy New Year everyone!!

Nice! I really like Gravity Rush. It didn't win anything, but sure deserved all of it nominations. Personally I would have given it the Vita award. It reminds me of that old Japanese innovation that we all loved at some point.

Twisted Metal didn't live up to our expectations, but it really did nail a few key parts.

ACIII, BoarderLands 2, Far Cry 3, and Dishonored all looked to have that high end production value. I'm avoiding them b/c I just don't have enough time for games that nice right now.

And I so glad a game like Journey got as much credit as it did. The world outside of PSX seems to stomp on innovative gems like Journey and this time they pretty much embraced it.

2013 is looking pretty grand. I'm not going to be able to make it through with out my PS3.

Can agree with 90% of the list which is a shocker because I rarely agree with anyones GOTY lists.

With that said, I disagree with Dishonored being the GOTY. I tried playing that game and it failed to grab me. I have yet to play Assassin's Creed III so I can't comment on that one, but the GOTY for me comes down to Mass Effect 3 and NFS Most Wanted.

I agree with a lot of this list. However my most under rated would probably be Binary Domain. That game was easily the best Sci Fi TPS I played this year. Best story I would give to The Walking Dead, even the ending aside the walking dead seems to have a better more coherent story than ME3 had. Oh also, I think graphically far cry 3 is better than AC3, but only slightly. I kind of like the colour palette more and the artistic style a bit more.

The last big disagreement would have to go to Mass Effect 3 getting the RPG award. I'm sorry it just isn't an RPG and hasn't been an RPG since the first Mass effect game. All the the RPG elements that most RPG fans look for were largely gutted. What we ended up with was a shooter with RPG light elements and the ability to make choices that were going to affect the outcome of the game. I don't think I need to remind anyone but Call of Duty Black Ops 2 also gives you the ability to alter the storyline based on choices, does that make Call of Duty a role playing game? Or are we just saying that mass effect 3 has such good writing that it gets to be called an RPG, where other games such as Blops 2 don't? Other than superficial thematic differences how are the RPG elements in Mass Effect 3 that much deeper than the ones in the new Call of Duty game? I mean you can change your loadout before missions in Blops 2 which is a big change from the other entries in the series, and literally the main difference between the two is the ability to level up in Mass Effect 3, which was gutted in ME2 and ME3 and ended up making it feel like it was tacked on.

I think on the list you had Dragons Dogma was the only real RPG. It had all the things we expect from an RPG, it had a meaningful leveling system which provided progression that allowed you to become really powerful late game, something mass effect 2 and 3 conspicuously lacked when compared to the first. Dragons Dogma also gave the player a bit of storyline choice, along with lots of side quests. There was a ton of loot to collect and land to explore, and in general it felt way more like an RPG than Mass Effect 3 did.

I mean the term RPG is becoming harder and harder to define as time passes and games implement RPG staples in a more watered down, and easy to access ways. Its easy for developers to implement an XP bar that provides a sense of progression, everyone likes filling up a bar whether or not it is actually doing anything meaningful.

So to sum it up, I don't think Mass Effect 3 is an RPG it should have been in the shooter category as it now plays more like a shooter than an RPG. If you had have given this award to Mass effect 1, well I would have had nothing ill to say.

Sorry xenris, but you may have noticed that every single source on the planet calls Mass Effect an RPG; it's labeled as such from everyone, including the people who made it.

I don't like it myself and I say it's an action/RPG hybrid, but the role-playing elements are obviously there, especially outside of combat. You can't really call it anything else. And it really doesn't play like a shooter; that's just false, in no way do I play ME the same way I play Uncharted or Max Payne. Surely you can see the vast differences.Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 1/2/2013 11:16:52 AM

I respectfully disagree. I would call Mass Effect a shooter for the reasons I stated above. Actually ME2 was categorized as a shooter in many of the game of the year awards when it came out.

I think it is a shooter that lets you use powers but you play it exactly how you would play uncharted, or any other cover based shooter IE, you take cover pop and shoot and take cover to reload. The gameplay mimics that of a cover based shooter more than it does of any true RPG I have ever played.

I agree that it is a hybrid and not just a pure shooter but for me the RPG elements are so slight it doesn't justify calling it an RPG.

I will give you an example of games I think are considered RPGs, but I will exclude JRPGs because they follow a different formula than most western or DnD based RPGs.

Demon and Dark souls are really the last true RPGs, you complete customize a character who has no voice, you pick a starting class and you are put in this world and as you level up you have complete freedom in building your characters progression even if that means making a gimped build. The souls games you actually feel like your role playing your character in this disturbing ruthless world. JRPGs are character driven so your not really playing the role BUT you usually have this freedom in party builds character level, character inventory etc which makes it feel like you are in control and have some level of freedom.

Thats all I'm saying, I think that when you disect mass effect 3 you are left with mostly a shooter and less of an RPG. Sure the story is interactive and you can define your shepard, but even the dialogue options in two and three were more watered down than ME1s.

At most I would call it an Shooter/RPG, but then should borderlands 2 have been in the RPG category it has even more tangible skill builds and customization than ME2 or 3.

I have noticed that a lot of people are calling ME3 an RPG, and I thought that you wouldn't have put ME3 it in that category because I know how much you play and love RPGs, regardless of what other people were calling it.

It's an RPG, xenris. Mechanics don't entirely dictate genre. You're conveniently ignoring every other facet of the game - and there are a great many - just so you can say the game isn't an RPG. Deus Ex: Human Revolution was an RPG but according to you, I'm assuming it's just an FPS...?

If you're only going to call Demon's Souls and Dark Souls RPGs, then I guess nothing else is, because nothing else really plays like those games. Dragon's Dogma and that's it...? You're narrowing your scope so severely that nothing qualifies for the label. You just dodge ME's depth by calling it "superficial" but that doesn't help your argument; it just makes you appear more biased.

Borderlands 2 straddles genres more so than ME3 does, because the entire focus is on FPS gameplay. On the other hand, saying the entire focus of ME3 is on third-person shooter gameplay is just plain wrong. There's a great deal more to that experience, and just about all of it has RPG roots.Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 1/2/2013 1:19:52 PM

Since you spend most of your time in ME3 outside of battle doing other things it feels RPG. Though I suppose a person could put it on easy, make no decisions, talk to nobody, and rip past all the quests and exploration and get the wrong idea about the game.

Um yes mechanics DO entirely dictate genre. If not mechanics then what does dictate genre when you're talking about a game? If mechanics don't dictate the genre of a game then you're saying that theme, story, music, art style, and dialogue dictate the genre? So would that mean that a game that has not even the barest semblance of character progression be called an RPG if it were set in a medieval fantasy kingdom with princesses and dragons baroque music, Shakespearean dialogue? This would be a game where your character never changes never actually gets stronger but apparently you would be willing to call it an RPG because of everything but the actual game mechanics?

Listen Mass Effect 1 didn't follow any of the traditional RPG stereotypes in terms of game setting, storyline, music or even perspective(it was an over the shoulder TPS) BUT it was called an RPG because it had character progression like an RPG, as well as a huge loot system that ACTUALLY had tangible EFFECTS on GAME PLAY. You can choose to not upgrade your characters skills at all in ME2 and 3 and the game hardly feels any different(I've tested this) as the progression and upgrades that you are working towards only change your abilities by a small percentage. Are we going to start calling Call of Dutys multiplayer an online RPG because you have perks that increase run speed, reload speed and how fast you can aim down the sites? NO we aren't because its a shooter, the only difference is that mass effect 2 and 3 show you the numbers where CoD hides them behind arbitrary perks. Not to mention Blops 2 now lets you actually affect the outcome of the game through your choice, and actually customize your loadout before missions....so....is it an RPG?

The fact that Mass effect 2 and 3 retained the dialogue choice systems of the first game and the good characterization is not enough reason to call it an RPG when the rest of the game plays exactly like every other stop and pop cover based shooter.

You never played it but was Binary Domain an RPG? NO even though it had a loot system, a squad loyalty system, a shop to buy and upgrade characters and weapons, multiple endings with a strong storyline and characters. It was for all intents and purpose more of an RPG than ME3 except it lacked a hub world of some sort...oh...wait a second...is that how you personally define an RPG? If it has a hub world?

If the writing in Call of Duty becomes stellar and the story becomes so deep that it's on par with Planescape Torment... would Call of Duty qualify as an RPG on the grounds that both Planescape Torment and itself have great stories and writing? No, of course it wouldn't, because games are not books and story does not play a part in dictating the genre of a game. The fact that RPGs tend to have good stories is incidental, not endemic. If you want to say that Mass Effect 3 is an RPG based on other grounds than the gameplay mechanics I'd be interested to hear which mechanics those are.

By stark contrast to the sequels, Mass Effect 1 featured the most robust skill trees of any of the games, and a loot system that was essential to progressing and becoming stronger.

It's sad that shooters have grown so popular that people are willing to put games like Mass Effect 3 in the same category which was once dominated by greats like Planescape Torment, Morrowind, Baldur's Gate, and all of the great JRPGs like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and the Tales series.

Calling Mass Effect 3 an RPG just takes the spotlight from games that are much more deserving of praise for pushing the boundaries of the RPG genre. Why else do we have categories for awards?

Is Mass Effect 3 the best RPG of the year, or just your favorite game that people call an RPG?Last edited by Bevel on 1/2/2013 4:22:06 PM

I don't have time for this, xenris. Go yell at BioWare and tell them not to call Mass Effect an RPG, or something. I've played RPGs for twenty-five years and I can essentially guarantee that I've played more than you've ever even heard of. If you don't like the fact that every human on earth classifies ME3 as an RPG, that's your problem. Don't try to convince me that you're right and everyone else is wrong. I'm bored with those types of arguments.

There are plenty of people who don't consider ME3 to be an RPG. Bevel seems to agree with me and my friend who is with me right now does also. Surely we are not the only people in the world who think this way?

Play ME1 THAT was an RPG, and that is probably why Bioware still calls it an RPG even though 3/4 the RPG mechanics were stripped from the game or watered down.

Not to mention several publications put Mass Effect 2 in the shooter category for the game of the year awards the year it released.

You playing more RPGs than me doesn't make your argument stronger, that is if you even have played more RPGs than me which is a huge assumption on your part considering you don't know how long I've been gaming for or even my age. I know you apparently love RPGs but you don't know if they happen to be my favourite genre which, in most cases, they actually are.

I can use reason and logic to show you why ME3 isn't an RPG and if the whole world like you claim, still wants to think it is an RPG they can go ahead and do that, but that wont give ME3 an inventory system, a stats systems, tangible progression, deep customization or a full fledged loot system.

But as you said this is boring, I will go yell at Bioware.Last edited by xenris on 1/2/2013 5:38:57 PM

While we purists might not consider it an rpg, it obtains that label whether we agree or not. Ben himself said it was more of a hybrid. The fact is, the industry at large calls it an rpg. It would be unprofessional for psxe to call it anything different. And as such, it has been appropriately weighed against the opposition and Ben defends himself well. Agree or disagree, I find no fault here.

Sometimes I wonder if the big gaming epics will just do away with genre based gameplay labeling. It seems stuff like AC, Darksiders, ME, Rage etc etc blur the more traditional genre lines more than ever as many feel like a melting pot of many of gaming's most popular playing conventions.Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/2/2013 8:05:14 PM

Here's a fun Temjin fact. The first Rpg I was exposed to was Ultima Exodus on NES. As a young'n my older brother would go to school and instruct me to kill monsters for him to level up his characters. He'd show me spots on the world map I could venture to and where to buy food in town. Ever since then all RPGs on NES always felt like a rip off of that game at the time, including the original FF and Dragon Warrior.

Maybe xenris could just admit he's heavily biased against BioWare because he slammed them for "screwing up" ME3 and took the part of "the people" in that so-called scandal which was nothing more than rampant entitlement of the worst kind.

...but I doubt it. As I said, boring. And as Underdog said, we classify the game as the developers classify it, and as every other major source in the world classifies it, and we don't quite have the EGO xenris and his friends have for re-classifying it. I'm done here.

I hate these kind of discussions!Why does it matter? I mean, really? Aren't we all just a tad too geeky now? Why the f*ck care so much if it belongs to this or that hat?

If you ask me, if we *have* to fight over this, I'll say that all the ME games have their spirit and soul firmly rooted in the RPG genre, there is simply no shadow of doubt in my mind about that. That is where they belong.But I can understand those who say it is too much action, too little classic rpg mechanics. That is true too.

But come ON. If we watch a great movie, do we really get our panties in a knot discussing if it mainly was a thriller or a drama? Or do we instead discuss the scenes, the story, what's found between the lines, the euphemism, the... Well, pretty much ANYTHING but what genre it belonged to?

I only brought this up Beamboom because the line is blurring and at this point in time it resembles a shooter more than it does an RPG, not just to me but to others as well. So when ME3 beats out games that are more technically and mechanically RPGs for the RPG of the year award it irks me.

I don't need to explain what an RPG is, Bevel and I have shown all the facts that could ever be needed. It's not EGO Ben, it is voicing a concern that RPGs clearly aren't RPGs anymore and what defines an RPG is so vast you could technically call Call of Duty Blops 2 an RPG based off of its single player and multiplayer features.

I understand underdogs points very well. But when you have a game of the year awards at the end of the year and you are praising games for being the best of the genre I think that we need to make sure we know what that genre is.

Otherwise in 5-10 years there wont be categories. I think now more than ever it is important to remember what makes an RPG an actual RPG regardless of what the majority want to call it.

As for me being the only person who sees this as a shooter, let me quote one of the doctors shall I?

"There's a few bigger buckets of things we're working on, one of them is the intensity of the action, amping that up so people will see this as a shooter RPG... It's going to feel like shooter fans are going to have a great experience."-Ray Muzyka

Yeah, but the genre is changing as the industry dictates. I see what you're saying. And the definition is changing. But I really don't think Ben should not give it acclaim as a game just because we don't like the direction RPG is going in. It's perfectly acceptable to state a distaste for direction in something like an editorial. But objectively speaking, once the games are in their categories... (since we must assume they are appropriately there, hense their genre label) it's simply an issue of "which game is the better game".

That's why I think it's hard to find fault with Ben's decision. He truly felt ME3 was the best game on that list. Defining it as an RPG against the other RPG's no longer matters once it's been given the RPG label, and those factors can no longer be weighed.

It's literally impossible for him to have done otherwise unless he really didn't think ME3 was the better "GAME" (genre be damned) on that list. :\

Though my game of the year is the Walking Dead, I'm very happy to see Dishonored win here. An excellent game in a year full of amazing ones. I was messing around with Skyrim yesterday and when I couldn't just "blink" to where I wanted to go I got really sad :)

Ah, the GoTY awards, one of my favorite times of the year! Great job once again, Ben. I can't really argue or complain with any of these choices except my fighting game of the year was Tekken Tag 2, but then again, I am a bit biased towards Tekken. If there is one thing I'm sure we all can agree on, it's that 2012 was a superb year for video games, and 2013 is shaping up much the same way. Here's to another year of great video games!